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Shares in Toyota fell sharply on reports that the world’s biggest carmaker
might be forced to halt production at all 13 of its North American car
plants following global disruption of component supply chains caused by the
Japanese earthquake.

Although strongly played down by Toyota, the knee-jerk sell-off of one Japan’s
leading manufacturing groups led a broader slump in Japanese stocks that
lopped more than 100 points, or 1.06 per cent — from the Nikkei 225 index.

Investor angst in Japan, say brokers, is focused on a range of plausible
concerns that include long-term damage to agriculture and fishing
industries, worse